help finding new book
I know I know there's probably a million threads somewhere else in here that I could look through, truth is, I have been looking but can't quite find what I'm looking for- Here's the problem:
I've read all the Palahniuk books, and what I'm looking for is something with the great twists and story lines like his, but also with humor. not just a dark droll story, but I enjoy the dark humor chuck has in his books too- about 2 days ago I found this site and went under his recommendations and picked out Monica Drake's 'Clown Girl', and it was pretty awful. It did have that hint of humor I'm looking for, but it was pretty bad, and it's going back to the library asap. So if you could suggest something that would be up my alley that I could pick up while chucking clown girl in the return bin- please- all suggestions will be helpful thank you 
buddy.
Go and get the contortionists' handbook by Craig clevenger - brilliant.
douglas coupland
bret ellis easton
christopher buckley
dave eggers
hunter s thompson
max berry
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bret ellis easton
christopher buckley
dave eggers
hunter s thompson
max berry
Ahem, Bret Easton Ellis ;D
But yes, you can't really go wrong with any BEE novel - although I'm pretty biased on that.
Jay Mcinerney is another good author, very similar to BEE.
I've just finished reading The Acid House by Irvine Welsh. It kind of reads like 'Haunted', in the sense that it's a collection of short stories. Nice one in there about God turning a man into a fly though.
What I have shown you is reality. What you remember... that is the illusion.
for funny funny go with Christopher Moore.
"I'm glad I live in the GPS era. In a different century, I would've set off to visit the other side of the village and wandered off into the mountains and been eaten by a carnivorous plant. Or discovered the Americas."
-LaJessica
I was actually going to pick up "Lamb" by christopher moore, but it was checked out- so I got 'clown girl' instead. Hopefully it'll be back on the shelves today!
buddy.
I like Christopher Moore too. Gonna read "Coyote Blue" sometime soon.
What didn't you like about Clown Girl, did you read the whole thing?
Obviously, loving Chucky P you were sold from the amazing intro - as was I. But I actually couldn't put it down. The language was shit hot. And it was both funny and tragic. But that's just me.
yea I finished it-
it just seemed like she didn't know how to end it and just wrapped it up immediately and something about the characters...wasn't enough.
I can't nail exactly what it was lacking but it was definitely something important- but yes the reason I got it initially was because of chuck's fwd.
I started James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" and wish it was a little colder outside so I could throw it in a fire. I'm just striking out! I had 'American Psycho' in my hands! I should have gotten that instead- I did get 'rules of attraction' in case I ended up getting sick of the pissing and moaning of 'million little pieces', but one I start a book, even if it's awful, I have to finish it.
buddy.
and for some reason my library, at one point in time, did carry christopher moore, but apparently, someone really like him and indefinitely checked out ALL of his books...it didn't sound promising that the supply would be refilled any time soon.
buddy.
haha.
remembering, reading clown girl. the ending was a little disapointing. it just seemed to end. but the characters were developed so well, and you werw with sniffles all the way. weren't you.
you seem to have as knack for picking up the wrong book...
psst
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/forum/1000009/suggestions-please
and welcome to the cult
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
oh, and i also didnt like a million little pieces. it's only redeeming quality was that it was a real account, an account of what one person went through, so it needn't be necessarily well written. and then oprah apologized to her audience and he came on and apologized to her audience, and all the stupid ruckus that ensued..
and i loved american psycho, and didnt so much enjoy rules of attraction. i am a minority in that dislike amongst bret ellis fans, though, so dont take my words as reason to deter your read of that one. my thing is, life is too short and there are waaaay too many great books out there to stick to any read that isnt entertaining. i came here for reading suggestions back in oh-two, and was a lurker back in two thousand. back then, i was reading star wars novels and clancy and grisham. anything that would entertain me. finally came across chuck and loved his work. google was still pretty new but i knew how to use it. so i came here and pretty much all of the ones on my list in that thread came from booktalk here over the years. i also have two phillip roth books i havent yet even touched. and a handful of others.. trust me, if im reading something that im not enjoying, i'll be reading something else in no time 
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
I've read all the Palahniuk books, and what I'm looking for is something with the great twists and story lines like his, but also with humor... =]
not able to let go sometimes, i went to thinking on a direct list given the quoted criteria and this is what i came up with:
-25th Hour by David Benioff
-Craig Clevenger's The Contortionists' Handbook
-Chris Baer's Phineas Poe Trilogy
-Jesus' Son (my woman's all time favorite movie and one of my favorite books.. chuck self professed to reading it three hundred times before writing lullaby in just six weeks)
-In The Cut by susanna moore (graphic, quite graphic, but quite good, short and powerful)
-Wise Blood by flannery o'connor (hilarious and extremely symbolic and twisting, she was a master of high caliber)
-The Book of Revelation by rupert thompson (clevenger made us read this book in his first writing intensive here and the book is great and fucked up and the ending is top tier)
-Exquisite Corpse by poppy z bright
there's a short list of books you cant go wrong with. you can safely add bret ellis' less than zero to the list as well btw
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
These are all great suggestions but 98% are lacking the most important thing I am looking for right now-
the humor part. it doesn't necessarily have to be a comedy, but when you read any of chuck's books you can't help but laugh more than once through out it, plus it has the twists and great plots + characters.
The books suggested will definitely be read at some point, but right now I'm looking for basically "choke II".
Fucked up story that'll leave a smile on my face and make me want to take a shower.
buddy.
Just go read Choke again.
I'm still upset about how awful the fucking movie was.
buddy.
.
buddy.
it's much darker and very slim. my woman loved it, and she's a fairly picky reader. if that helps 
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
hey, you tricked me !!
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
well i ran into 'Reasons to Live' by amy hempel and decided to go with that one first. Im very indecisive haha but poppy z is absolutely on my list.
buddy.
ahha, some of those stories are excruciating.. though, her entire library is pretty much just as easy to procure--or, nowadays; when i started here, when i started hearing of her, her books were ridiculously rare. i.e., expensive. spent seventy dollars on my copy of gates at the animal kingdom. when i heard all of her work was going to be reissued as an anthology, i resold it for about that amount. just wait til you finish in the cemetary where al jolson was buried; that story is fantastic. in fact, it is online here:
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/kpolicano/web/AlJolson.pdf
if you have to wait on the book, just so you can get an idea of what youre getting into with her. chuck has called her his god among writers.
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
shit kabol.
i just bought a first edition hardcover of animal kingdom for only like 25 bucks or something...and i had a paperback from a while a go, that i picked up from a book store near my place for only 16 bucks or something ridiculous like that.
agreed. al jolson is shit hot. i love In a Tub. and San Francisco. - they're all from reasons to live.
ps. you ain't gonna find another chucky p. thats why we love him so much right?
like someone said. read choke again - you'll pick up more on your second read. you should enjoy hempel. she can be tragically fucking hilarious at times.
If you're looking for something funny I suggest 'Apathy and Other Small Victories' by Paul Neilan. If you don't laugh out loud at least a dozen times I'd be surprised.
haven't actaully read this puppy yet. it's been on my 'meaning to buy and read at some point in time' list for quite a while. i've heard good stuff about it's laugh out loud moments.
i don't really get how apathy is a victory though.
Perhaps you shouldn't take the title so seriously.
just got back from library and grabbed up neilan's apathy and other small victories sounds good! I had a list of other books that were suggested and for some reason my library, even though it's quite large and rather modern....didn't have a lot of the books I was searching for, oh well-
I have apathy, American Psycho and am due to have a baby in 7 days so I think what I have should tide me over until Im able to walk to the library again haha
buddy.
congratulations !!!
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
perhaps, you shouldn't take my posts so seriously.
it was a mere observation. i guess it's part of the joke. probably funny and depressing.
oh, and congrats. babies are sweet.
perhaps, you shouldn't take my posts so seriously.
it was a mere observation. i guess it's part of the joke. probably funny and depressing.
No need to get all fussy about it. Yesh, it's probably part of the joke, which is why I said that.
hey freddy good job, i got a few pages in this morning and I laughed so loud I woke up the bf in the other room "i would marry her, even if she was 6 years old and retarded. we would have a strange life together".
buddy.
Happy huntings.
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/recommended/authors/palahniukian